The Key
by AnotherChance
Summary: Tenel ka finds an enemy that was thought long dead. COMPLETE


A key was the only way to access some passages in the Great Temple. Others could only be opened by the Force. Tenel Ka was looking for those only accessible through both. Some would say the task was difficult. Many would say it was impossible. She only thought of it as a challenge to be overcome. That was the way she had been taught. That was the way she had been raised, and she had been raised well.

Tenel Ka needed to find the one passage that her key opened. She had been instructed to find the one that _felt_ right to her. The instructions came from a dream. Normally, Tenel Ka would have ignored a dream the first time, shook it off the second time and meditate on it the third. This dream was different. She fainted in class for the first time and was sent to the infirmary. The second time she was found sleepwalking in the corridor at night. By this time her friends were really getting worried. The third was a different matter. She had a dream while she was sleeping. Nothing dramatic happened. She didn't faint or sleepwalk. She just woke up and found an ancient key in her palm, the type Luke Skywalker had taught them the Massassi had created. That was more disturbing than the other two occurances. She had meditated on it, and even though common sense told her to get Master Skywalker's help in the matter, she was just too curious to wait.

That was what had led her to the kilometers of sandy passage under the Great Temple. She knew on one level of her consciousness that she should have told her friends Jaina, Jacen, Lowbacca and Zekk, but she couldn't bring herself to involve them. She knew that they were worried about her, but it was going to be dangerous, and she couldn't willingly drag them into danger. She was prepared any way. She carried her lightsaber, her throwing daggers, her fibercord and her most potent weapon of all, the Force.

Suddenly she heard a ruffling, scraping sound. It may have just been the echo, but she could have sworn it came from two directions, the one she had come from, and the one she was headed. She decided that someone must be following her, and the sound ahead may just be the echo or an animal she hadn't come across yet. Tenel Ka unsheathed her daggers and went back the way she had come.

She heard the noises again, this time stronger from the direction she was headed. She reached a corner, readied herself and turned the corner.

"What do you think you're doing? Going off and not telling us where you're headed. We've been so worried about you, with your collapses and everything. I can't believe how restless and irrational you've been since your dreams started." Jacen paused for breath and Tenel Ka took the opportunity to insert a few words.

"I did not wish to involve you. This is my mission, and it could be dangerous. If you were to get hurt, I would not be able to forgive myself."

"You wouldn't be able to forgive yourself! If this is going to be so dangerous, how do you think we'd feel if you got hurt?!" Jaina asked, outraged. "We don't mind danger. We've been through plenty of it and we've come out alive. Do you know why?" she continued without waiting for a reply. "Because we're a team, and team members _don't go off alone_!"

"I am sorry. I did not mean to offend you." And she hadn't. These people were her best friends. Jacen, always considerate, learning all he could about life or playing with his pets. He had always been there for her, as had all her other friends, from the loss of her arm to the demand from her grandmother to take the throne of Hapes.

Jaina was always fixing this gadget or that, she had been raised by her mother to be polite and considerate, and raised by her uncle and father to use her intuition. She was the twin of Jacen Solo, and while he took after his mother, she took after her father.

Lowbacca was the son of two computer engineers from the Wookiee home planet Kashhyykk. Despite his heritage, he had grown up wanting more, and utilized his sensitivity to the Force to achieve this.

Zekk was an orphan from Ennth, a planet that, because of its three moons, suffered catastrophic tidal forces. These forces caused natural disasters, escalating every nine years. His parents had died during one of these escalations and he had stowed away on a freighter to Coruscant, where an old pilot named Peckhum had unofficially adopted him. Later, after meeting Jacen and Jaina, he had been kidnapped and turned to the dark side. Jaina had turned him back to the light and he had spent the rest of his life so far trying to redeem himself.

Elin was their newest friend. She was a perceptive, gifted young student from the high gravity world Antar. Not only was she exceptionally skilled at all aspects of learning, but was more than adept at hand to hand combat, rivaling even Tenel Ka's skills. She had made a name for herself before coming to the Jedi Academy, defeating a very dangerous terrorist group on her home planet. People would use her name as an antonym to crime, and they would mean it. Because of her achievements, Master Skywalker had introduced her especially to Tenel Ka and the others, who had defeated several terrorist and illegal organisations. Despite all this, when they had first met, Elin had been cripplingly shy. It had taken them months to break her of this habit, and now she spoke freely among them.

"You're going a bit hard on her don't you think?" Elin said. "I mean, it's not as though you've never done anything like this. You all ran off to Ryloth when Lowie was tricked by the Diversity Alliance."

"Something's not right. I can feel the dark side. It's beckoning to me." Zekk announced with a shiver.

"It's not beckoning to you, traitor boy, It's announcing my presence." Said an eerily familiar voice behind them.

They whipped around, and a tall, dark figure said again, "You don't recognize me do you? What about you, traitor girl? Do you recognize me?"

"Of course I recognize you. You are a disgrace to Dathomir, and a disgrace to the Force, Tamith Kai." With that she drew her lightsaber, but before she could use it, Tamith Kai had already gathered the dark side of the Force and snatched her and her friends light sabers away.

"A disgrace to the Force you say? Why is it that you think you can get away with that sort of remark? You, a weakling, one-armed girl, with only your children friends to defend you? I know why. Because the New Republic is in control. If the Empire were in control, you would be dead. You would never have lived! I know true power! I know the dark side, and you call me a disgrace to Dathomir and the Force? I'll show you a disgrace!" With every word, her rage perceptibly grew. Tenel Ka got into her strongest combat stance.

Suddenly, with a cry of anger and effort, Tamith Kai unleashed a fury of dark side lightning bolts, and even though Tenel Ka had readied herself for a physical assault, the incredibly strong Force attacks were too much. Tenel Ka watched her friends fall to the ground as she sank into darkness.

Luke Skywalker felt a strong feeling through the Force. He could only think of one word to describe it. Devastation. He fell to one knee in the corridor, and Tionne stopped suddenly.

"Did you feel that?" Luke asked in a shaky voice.

"Yes, it was a disturbance in the Force. But it wasn't large scale. It was closer to home."

"It had something to do with the twins and their friends. I don't know what it was, but it felt like the dark side."

"You don't think Tenel Ka or one of the others-"

"No! They wouldn't turn. They had no reason to." Luke Skywalker interrupted. He noticed the figure of the Bespin hermit Streen rushing towards them.

"Did you two feel the disturbance? The twins and their friends didn't turn up to their lesson. Now their voices have stopped. I think something's happened to them." The words came rushing out of his mouth.

Streen's talents included manipulating the weather and hearing people. If he couldn't hear the students, something must have happened to them.

Without hesitation, Luke Skywalker announced, "Go and get Kirana Ti, Mara and Kam. Cancel all other classes. I have a feeling we're going to need all the help we can get to rescue my niece and nephew and their friends."

Streen was walking down the corridor next to Kirana Ti. She had waist length reddish hair and always wore a serious frown. She had supported him during the time that Exar Kun had spoken to him, tricking him, and he had supported her in return. He normally couldn't stand being around many people. But she was quiet minded and gentle. This was a welcome change from most everyone else at the Temple.

Kam was walking across from him. He also wore a serious face. He had once been a dark Jedi, but Luke had turned him. He had spent the rest of his life, so far, striving for redemption. Unlike Mara.

Mara had been the Emperor's Hand, a secret agent, and the elite of the elite, unbeatable. And then she met Luke Skywalker. He had changed her life by his simple, farmboy manner. So much so that she compromised her last orders from the Emperor, killing his clone rather than the real deal. That had set them on the road of friendship, which had led to love. They got married and now she worked at the Jedi Academy, with her husband.

Tionne was the antithesis to Kam and Mara. She was knowledgeable in the ways of the Jedi, and she had never turned to the dark side. She wasn't very powerful in the Force, but she balanced that by inspiring the students to become all they can by singing ballads about the Jedi Masters of old. She had a melodious voice and long silvery hair.

Luke Skywalker was the connecting point of all the Masters. He had touched them all in a particular way. Kirana Ti, by protecting her clan from the nightsisters even after the clan had tried to enslave him. Streen, by rescuing him from a choice of either a monotonous life as a gas prospector on Bespin or going insane from the voices in his head. He had taught Streen how to turn the 'voices' off, which also helped him get closer to his colleagues. He had turned Kam to the light side, saving him from a fate worse than death. He reached deep into the foundations of Kam's person and pulled out the light side teachings of his father. Luke Skywalker had helped Tionne by letting her become a Jedi. He had originally thought that she was too weak, but her learned person changed his mind, and he had never regretted that decision.

Mara had been hard to help. At first, she wanted to kill him. Then she wanted to be taught new things, to be challenged, and when he couldn't supply her with that knowledge, she left the Academy. She took a little while to come around, but on a mission to rescue her, both Luke and Mara acknowledged their feelings and got married.

While he had been thinking, they had been walking. Streen stopped suddenly. "I can hear voices. I think some of them are Jaina's and her friends'. But there is one I can't place. It feels almost like-" His voice broke to a whisper, "Almost like when I was ensnared by Exar Kun. I think the dark side is behind their disappearance."

"We had better find them soon then. I don't want to have to tell Leia that the dark side took her children. She's worried enough about Anakin." Luke's panicky expression melted into a peaceful one as he took a deep breath.

"You won't have to, Luke. They'll be fine." Kam said.

Luke nodded.

"The voices are getting stronger. I think they're nearby." Streen said in an escalating voice.

"They're in pain, I can feel it." Tionne gasped, her connection with the children stronger than the other's.

"Let us hurry." Kirana Ti said with her manner-of-fact Dathomiri attitude.

They continued walking hurriedly down the passage. Luke grew more and more worried. When they rounded a corner, and saw the bodies of the children lying in the middle of the corridor. Racing to them, Luke dropped to his knees, surveying the damage.

Finding a pulse, he let out a breath, gently brushing back the hair that fell across Jacen's brow. He looked over the group and frowned. He only counted five bodies. Taking a quick check, he noticed that Tenel Ka was missing. Looking up at the other Masters, he hafted Jacen onto his shoulders, nodding as the others hefted a child on to their own shoulders. Kam and Streen shared the load of Lowbacca.

Turning around, they headed back to the infirmary, to allow their charges to recover.

Groaning, Elin opened her eyes slowly, blinking to adjust to the soft lights in the infirmary. Sitting up, she noticed Master Skywalker stroking the hair of his nephew, deep in thought. Clearing her throat, she asked, "What happened, Master Skywalker?"

He looked up sharply. "Elin, you're awake." He moved over to her quickly, laying a hand on her shoulder, probing with the Force. "How are you feeling?"

She stretched, wincing. "I'm really stiff. As though I've been training non stop for the last few days. My muscles feel really sore…"

He nodded. "What do you remember about what happened?"

She looked thoughtful, eyes distant. "We found Tenel Ka, wandering the passages below the Great Temple… and then someone else appeared. She had black hair, and some really tacky looking armor. She looked almost… wild. As though she'd been living out there, in the jungle, all by herself. And she spoke to Tenel Ka like she knew her…" Looking up at Master Skywalker, "She really hated Tenel Ka."

He nodded soberly. "It sounds like Tamith Kai. We thought she had died when the Shadow Academy attacked us here, but no one really confirmed it. She must have survived when her ship crashed at the end of the battle…" He looked thoughtful, before patting her shoulder comfortingly. "Get some rest. You'll feel better if you do."

He stalked out the door, presumably to tell the other Masters what he had learned, and Elin lay back down to get some more sleep, not noticing that Tenel Ka didn't share the room with her and her friends.

Tenel Ka awoke silently, like she had been taught. Opening her eyes a crack, she looked surreptitiously through lidded eyes. They widened as she saw the ground that stretched about fifty feet away. Reaching her hands out, she felt around the platform, made of long sticks bound together by some kind of vine, noting that the platform bent sharply upward, forming a cage around her. Gently rolling over so as to not rock the cage very much, she noticed that an old looking vine secured her to the ceiling of what looked to be the great hall, but she knew it was probably an abandoned one of the many abandoned temples that littered the surrounding areas.

She racked her brains for a means of escape. Meanwhile, Tamith Kai entered the large chambers, announcing her presence loudly. "So, traitor, you're awake." Tenel Ka remained quiet. "You aren't so tough, are you? I'm going to hurt you, like you hurt me."

Tenel Ka regarded her silently. The Dark Jedi got angry. "What, nothing to say? Well then I guess I'll have to hear your scream!" She unleashed dark energy towards the silent Jedi apprentice, who held her tongue, refusing to scream, even as darkness overcame her and she drifted into blissful unconsciousness.

Jacen, Jaina, Lowbacca, Zekk and Elin were all awake by now, and they were clambering to help the Masters look for their friends. Luke, however, was not to be swayed. "It's too dangerous. You've already been injured."

Jaina argued logically. "But we're Jedi apprentices. We've faced the Shadow Academy and the Diversity Alliance. Elin's faced all sorts of danger." She crossed her arms over her chest. "We've faced Tamith Kai before, none of you have. We can help."

He looked her over, and then her friends. He didn't see fear, or any negative emotions in their eyes. Just steely determination. Finally, he nodded. "Alright, fine. But you do as we say. No questions asked." They nodded eagerly.

Streen opened himself to the voices as he searched for Tenel Ka's unique presence. Finally, he shook his head. "She must be unconscious, I can't find her."

Luke sighed. "We'll just have to follow the stirrings in the Force and hope that they lead us to her then."

They set off, throughout the jungle. Hiking nearly five kilometers, the journey took them nearly an hour to complete, even through the difficult terrain of the jungle. When they reached the old temple that Exar Kun had tried to launch his insurrection from, Luke tried to send his niece and nephew, as well as their friends, back to the Great Temple.

Jacen shook his head. "It's safer here, with you. Tamith Kai could be anywhere, what if she comes after us?"

Mara grinned at her nephew. "He has a point, farmboy."

Luke sighed. All he wanted was for his family and his students to stay safe. As they started into the temple, voices sounded.

Looking around, the students noticed the grim faces of their teachers. All of them had been there during the resurrection of the spirit of Exar Kun, and they all knew what this temple was. Mara spoke softly. "Ignore the voices. They aren't real. It's just the darkness reaching for new souls to taint."

They walked a few feet further, the group closely knit. Suddenly the floor fell from beneath them, and they landed roughly on the ground, using the Force to soften the blow. Jacen looked up, and spied a cage with a familiar red head swinging softly above them. He cried out, calling her name, even as the others shushed him.

Tamith Kai stalked around the corner, igniting Tenel Ka's lightsaber. Luke regarded her steadily. "You have no chance to defeat all of us. Give up."

She laughed the deranged laugh of a mad woman, and drew the lightsaber back, and threw it towards the unconscious Tenel Ka's cage. The blade cut through the cage, slicing it clean in half, missing Tenel Ka's head by a few inches. The unconscious warrior plummeted, even as Tionne and Streen reached out to slow her decent. Tamith Kai took their momentary distraction to run, and she was followed by Kam, Kirani ti, Mara and Luke. Jacen, Jaina, Zekk, Lowie and Elin stayed behind, to make sure that Tenel Ka was okay.

Luke and the other Masters returned some time later. "We lost her in the passages. It's like a maze down there. The dark side clouded our senses when we tried sensing her."

They made their way back to the Great Temple. As they cleared the tree line, almost two hours since setting out from the forgotten temple, hindered by an unconscious Tenel Ka, a young boy ran towards them, waving frantically to get Master Skywalker's attention.

"Master Skywalker, Master Skywalker, quickly!" The young boy panted.

"Relax, now, Colyn, tell me what's happened." Luke calmed the young boy.

"All of the ships, their engines are all destroyed!" He cried out.

Luke exchanged glances with the other Masters. Quietly, he said, "Let's get everyone inside."

A quick check confirmed the boy's report. Tenel Ka had awoken, and insisted on walking. The large group made their way towards the comm. system, intent upon gathering everyone in the Great Hall. The sight that greeted them when they reached the comm. was shocking. The entire room had been gutted, wires were strewn everywhere.

Luke quickly turned to the other Jedi Masters. "Gather everyone, and bring them to the Great Hall. We need to know where everyone is, to keep them safe." They all nodded, and left. Luke lead the teenagers to the Great Hall himself, where they waited for the rest of the students and staff.

When everyone had gathered in the Great Hall, Luke called for quiet. "We have a problem. An enemy that we previously thought to be dead is alive, and roaming the Temple. She has already destroyed the engines of all of the ships, and the comm. system is damaged beyond repair. She is fluent in the Dark Side, so it is important that everyone stays here. I-" The lights went out, but were soon replaced by the red glow of the emergency lights. Signalling the other Masters, he stepped down from the dais.

"We need to find her. Kam, Tionne, stay here, with the students. If Tamith Kai comes here then you need to be ready. The rest of you, have your senses extended, don't let her catch you off guard." They all nodded. "Teams of two, Mara you're with me. Don't leave any corridor unchecked. Let's go."

Watching as the other Masters walked out of the Great Hall, Kam closed and locked all the doors.

It was quiet in the Great Hall, the only sound coming from the murmuring students, who looked scared. Tenel Ka, Elin, Jacen, Jaina, Zekk and Lowie all sat towards the back, heads close in deep conversation. They were discussing how to get past Kam and Tionne so they could help Master Skywalker, when suddenly the door closest to them was blasted open with intense energy.

They jumped forward, and were soon joined by Kam and Tionne, even as the rest of the students backed away, and towards the front of the room. Tamith Kai stepped through the door, a smug grin on her face. Unleashing the Dark Side on them, everyone except for Elin ignited their lightsabers, repelling the lightning.

The Dathomirian witch threw a disc-like object along the ground, and it stopped about a foot away from them. Seeing what it was, both Elin and Jaina threw themselves forward, trying it get infront of it before the field generator activated. Only Elin succeeded, as Jaina struck the force field and was repelled forcefully, leaving her momentarily stunned.

Tamith Kai smiled a twisted smile. "All alone, are we? Well, you'll be sorry for underestimating me. I have more power than you could ever imagine!"

Elin ignored her taunts, and soon Tamith Kai launched herself at the girl, throwing fist after fist towards the young Antarrian, who could barely manage to hold them off.

Elin saw an opening and swung her foot low, sweeping the legs out from beneath the witch. Instead of falling, Tamith Kai used her momentum to roll backwards and land on her feet. Elin took this time to regroup, setting up a proper guard to defend against attacks. It didn't help, though, as Tamith Kai scored a lucky hit to the face which left Elin swaying. Kneeing the young girl in the stomach, the witch laughed as she fell to the ground.

Tamith Kai walked around her, in a circle, laughing and taunting. Suddenly she let off a spring-board kick into the girl's ribs. Elin rolled over, groaning. Another kick, another. They all heard something snap. Jacen banged on the force field, helpless. The two Masters looked grim. There was nothing they could do for their charge, not while the force field was in play.

As Tamith Kai's boot came down again, a strange thing happened. Elin's eyes opened a fraction, and she raised her right arm, catching the boot as it fell. Giving the witch a good shove, she rolled over, clutching her left arm to her chest as she staggered to her feet, ready for round two, not knowing what to do except try to continue.

Tamith Kai snarled, calling a piece of long, sharp metal from the remnants of the door to her hand, and advanced upon Elin.

Elin used the Force to summon a second piece of metal to her hand, letting her left arm hang limp at her side. Wiping off the trail of blood on her face that obscured her vision, she gasped a few breaths.

Tamith Kai swung her makeshift sword at Elin's head, again and again, even as Elin blocked the hits, the blows shuddering in her arm. Backing up, Elin sensed the wall was only a few feet away from her, even as Tamith Kai advanced. She breathed a deep, calming breath, and assessed her situation. There was no way that she'd be able to maintain the fight for much longer.

Elin's eyes narrowed. She had to end this, not only for herself, but her friends. Clearing her mind, she called upon the Force for strength, and leapt over the head of the shocked Dathomiri witch. Not waiting for her enemy to turn around, she swung her makeshift sword at Tamith Kai's neck, digging in deep.

Before Elin could react, Tamith Kai exploded, hammering her into the wall with dark energy.

Groaning in pain, Elin opened her eyes. She was somewhat startled to find Lowbacca leaning over her, worry evident in his big eyes. She groaned again, as her head throbbed, and squeezed her eyes shut, hearing a worried moan from her Wookie friend.

She felt a gentle hand on her shoulder, alleviating the pain to an extent, and hazarded opening her eyes. Kam and Tionne were setting up a stretcher next to her, to carry her to the infirmary, and Luke was standing above her, using the Force to sooth her wounds.

When the stretcher was finished, he used the Force to transfer her onto it, accidentally jostling her arm, causing her to cry out in pain. He strengthened his connection to her, and suggested sleep in a deep, soothing voice.

Elin drifted off, even as the other Masters and the other students watched on, worried. She let the darkness take her away from the pain of the broken arm, three cracked ribs, bruised internal organs, concussion and broken collarbone.

Elin opened her eyes to the soft glow of a bacta tank. Looking around, she noticed a few figures standing outside, and waved to them. Seeing them wave back, she slowly drifted back to sleep.

Elin awoke once again, this time to the solid feeling of a bed underneath her. She sat up hesitantly, ignoring the room spinning slowly, and made her way gingerly to the door. Keying it open, she cracked a smile. Jacen, Jaina, Lowie and Zekk were all sprawled in chairs, sleeping. Tenel Ka was seated on the floor, deep in meditation.

Suddenly, Tenel Ka's eyes snapped open. "Elin, you are awake. Here, take a seat." She moved over to Jacen's chair, and roughly deposited him on the ground, leaving him to make a loud ruckus, waking the others, and offered the chair to Elin. She took it with a grin. "How are you feeling?"

By then everyone had woken up, thanks to Jacen's loud exclamations, first to the effect of why you don't throw someone off of a chair, and then about how Elin was awake. They all crowded around her, asking worried questions. She held up her hands in surrender. "I'm alright, really. Just a little sore…"

Master Skywalker took this time to show up, and he rescued her from her friends' worry. "Elin, seeing as you're up and about, can I speak with you for a moment?" She nodded, and followed him down three corridors, up two flights of stairs, and finally to his office. By the time they reached their destination, Elin was breathing heavily, and gladly took the offered chair in front of his desk, even as he asked worriedly, "Are you alright?"

She nodded. "I'm still a little weak from the injuries."

He nodded, his eyes apologetic. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize. I perhaps should have waited, but… well you're here now, aren't you?" She grinned, and he continued, choosing his words thoughtfully. "During your fight with Tamith Kai, what would you say your emotions were?"

She blinked. She hadn't expected that particular question, and racked her brains for an answer. "Um… well at the start I was a little panicky. I guess I didn't realize when I leapt forward that I would be fighting the fight alone… then when I was on the ground, and she was kicking me, I became determined. I didn't want to die lying down, I wasn't going to let her kill me." She hazarded a look, and noticed his face held mild interest, betraying none of his feelings. "And then… when I killed her… I didn't really feel anything. I cleared my mind, and let the Force take over."

He nodded. "That's what Kam and Tionne said." She looked shocked. "They had their senses trained on you from the start of the battle, and said when you killed her you weren't acting out of fear, hate or anger. That you were calm about it." Looking her in the eyes, he added, "You acted as a Jedi, Elin. I think you're ready to build your own lightsaber." Noticing the shocked expression on her face, he grinned. "After you recover, of course. Here, let me help you to your rooms." He offered her an arm, which she took, and led her to her quarters to get some much needed rest.

Elin tweaked the position of the focusing crystal, leaving it perfectly aligned. Surveying her work, she frowned at the power source, not knowing why it felt so wrong. Shrugging, she replaced it with another one, and let the Force flow over her new lightsaber, checking it for faults and flaws. Finding none, she opened her eyes and clicked the hilt on over top, gripping her lightsaber in her hand, and twirling it experimentally.

Her finger hovered over the switch, and she let out the breath she had been holding. Pressing the button slowly, she was amazed when a blue blade, about four feet long, sprung from the end of her newly made lightsaber.

She hung the weapon from her belt and walked in the general direction of Master Skywalker's office. Stopping in at the galley on the way, she was glad to notice the Master was eating at a table in the corner. Not wanting to disturb his lunch, she was shocked when he beckoned her over. She walked hesitant towards him and placed her new weapon on his table, for inspection.

He ignored it. "Were you careful? Did you check it for any flaws, and recheck it?" She nodded. "You didn't rush the construction in anticipation?" She shook her head, and he handed the blade back to her. "Then you've done it correctly. I don't need to check it." He gave someone a grin over her shoulder.

Turning, Elin noticed Mara Jade stood behind her, tray in her hand, and she muttered a quick apology, her face becoming flushed as she refused to meet the Jedi Master's eyes. Cursing her crippling shyness, she nodded a quick goodbye to Master Skywalker and fled, intent on missing lunch to escape the room.

Mara scowled. "I thought we broke her of that habit."

Luke shook his head. "The twins and their friends broke her of that habit, or at least with them. She isn't shy around me, I guess I broke her of that habit when I started training her." He grinned, eyes full of mirth. "But you, she barely knows you. Of course she's going to be scared. She doesn't know your bark is worse than your bite yet."

Mara flung a pea in his direction, which he caught in a Force grip and flung back at her. A miniature food fight had started in their corner, and the rest of the occupants of the galley watched in shock.

They crept quietly and quickly along the passages of the forgotten temple. After much persuasion, Tenel Ka had gone in search of the passage that her key opened. Now Elin, Tenel Ka, Lowie, Jacen, Jaina and Zekk creeped around the abandoned temple, looking for places that the key might fit.

Calling them over, Zekk pointed out a slot in a wall about the same size as her key. Shrugging, Tenel Ka slotted it in, and watched in fascination as a section of the wall moved backwards, and then slipped into a crack in the middle of the stone.

Moving cautiously into the room Tenel Ka looked around. There were tattered rags arranged as a bed, and a few more arranged as a pillow. Opening her senses, she knew for a fact that this was Tamith Kai's room, where she had stayed when the conditions were less then favourable.

Walking quietly out of the room, she keyed the lock and closed the door once more. Dropping the key on the ground, she smashed it under foot, and they all walked silently out of the temple, and back to the Great Temple.

The End!

Okay, there you go. It's done. Lol, only taken me about five years to gather the inclination to finish it, but that's ok. Read and review!!!


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